At the end of the manga and from what I've seen you the original anime. No, it would not be the same without him as hated as he is at despicable as he is. As you and your own article pointed out. He is the root cause of so much Of Genma's and Soun's faults. He was not written to be a good character or a moral character. I feel it would be a grave disservice to Rumiko Takahashi, To get rid of or change this character that she made in the ways you are suggesting.